he says this is needed to avert the impending fiscal cliff of automatic austerity measures that could drag the economy into recession. obama said on wednesday that federal revenues will not reach the level needed to implement his proposals to cut the deficit unless taxes are raid on the wealthy. >> there is a bottom-line amount of revenue that is required in order for us to get a real, meaningful deficit reduction plan. >> obama added that if republican officials acknowledged this reality, the actual numbers proposed by each party are not that far apart. republicans have made a counteroffer. they want to raise revenue by reviewing the current tax deduke system. house speaker john boehner has urged the president to compromise. >> our members believe strongly that raising tax rates will hurt the economy. now we need a response from the white house. >> unless the two sides reach an agreement by the end of this year, the automatic tax increases and spending cuts will take effect in the new year. >>> time to get a check on the markets now. the nikkei here in tokyo rose above the key 9,500